Please Increase Your Pledge so Apex Can Have More Toys

Pictures of puppies like Apex grab attention. So do photos of cute kids and provocatively dressed young people. Marketing professionals use these images to grab your attention so you’ll smile and buy.

Funding organ renovations is sexy. Soliciting donations for snazzy technology or long-overdue bathroom renovations gets people in their hearts and wallets. Fundraisers use these high-profile popular expenses to obtain gifts for non-profits,… including churches.

Unfortunately, what the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco needs now is increased money for its annual operating expenses. Our needs are not photogenic nor terribly emotionally appealing.

Let me tell you two unexciting, retro needs which a successful pledge drive could solve.

When I first came to this community in 1982, we had a Minister’s Secretary who kept the minister’s calendar, did his correspondence, and typed the weekly hard copy newsletter. When computers came and ministers did their own typing and email, the secretary position was dropped to save money.

But, Vanessa and our other ministers are now inundated by electronic communications which include meeting requests and demands on their time. They are stressed out trying to be responsive while also doing their main work. I would like to be able to consider a part-time ministers’ secretary to support our professionals.

When I first came to this community in 1982, we had a part-time bookkeeper who tracked funds and prepared checks for approval by the Office Manager/Finance Director. That position existed until about 4 years ago when the person acting as Director of Finance and Administration decided that it would be more efficient and less costly if she kept the books herself.

This consolidation caused two problems. First, the person preparing checks should not be the one authorizing them – we can work around that problem by involving more volunteers, but that work-around is not an optimal solution. Second, we have been more prone to typo-type errors in our finances having one person be responsible for error-checking her own work.

I would like to have enough pledge income so Saira and Vanessa could determine if a part-time bookkeeper/bookkeeping service would improve our day-to-day financial management.

No, I don’t want to return to 1982 to make UUSF Great Again. But, I also don’t want us to continue to think we can get more “productivity” from our ministers and staff by asking them to take on jobs we used to assign to separate staff people.

We need your increased pledge to the operating budget for these and other unexciting improvements to our community.

Thank you to the many members and friends who have already pledged. If you haven’t already made your commitment, please pledge now to the Annual Operating Fund. Just go to the Society’s home page (www.uusf.org) and click on the big green Pledge button!

Apex says: Anyone who increases their pledge by $1,000 or doubles it from last year will received a personally signed photograph from her thanking them for their generosity. Remember, Apex needs the new toys.

Late breaking news:

Howard Oringer, Chair of the Investment Committee, reviewed the Society’s holdings after last Saturday’s March for Our Lives and the call of speakers to avoid investing in companies who make assault weapons. Howard reports that we own no stocks or bonds of the makers of arms. He noted that we have had a long-standing policy to avoid such investments, and he confirmed that our investment advisors have followed our instructions.

About Galen Workman

Galen has been a member since 1982. He most recently served on the Board from 2013 - 2018 and as Moderator from 2017-2018. He is also a member of the board of the Hinckley Fund.
He has been Moderator, Assistant Moderator, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Board, on a ministerial search committee, active in social justice activities, and on the Nominating Committee.
Galen is married and spends time away from church showing his dachshunds and squaredancing.